


Steven goes to School

by OakwoodOuroboros



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Let Steven Say Fuck, set between the end of the series and the movie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:08:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22196047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OakwoodOuroboros/pseuds/OakwoodOuroboros
Summary: Steven has had enough of the Diamonds, setting up little homeschool and the general stress of his life. He wants a break, and Connie provides him with the perfect solution...
Comments: 24
Kudos: 90





	1. Chapter 1

Steven wanted to go to school. He didn’t know why, or how, but maybe he wanted to get a glimpse of Connie’s day-to-day life. Or maybe he wanted a breather from all the things that were happening throughout the Gem Empire. It was a lot of work, after all, and really he could do with any excuse not to deal with the Diamonds, if he were to be honest with himself. 

So here he was today, signing up for the next semester, struggling to fill in the form with Connie by his side. 

“Surname? That will be… Ugh, DeMayo.”

“Wait, what?” asked Connie, confused and upset. “Isn’t it Universe?”

Steven sighed. “Long story short, yes, but also no. Not only that but I don’t have a birth certificate, because my mother was an alien and all.”

Connie cocked an eyebrow. “You do have something proving your identity, right?”

“Well Pearl made me this,” he said, showing off a realistic looking forgery of a passport. The stamps on it showing which countries he’d been to were unidentifiable, apart from the Gemglyphs on them. “See, this one is for Homeworld, this one is for Korea… Well, I think.”

Connie shrugged. “Fair enough. Aight, my turn…”

Steven peered over her shoulder. “Constance?”

“Maheswaran, yes. That is my name.”

“Uh, can’t you just put Connie down?”

She peered straight into his soul with eyes of dark flames and boundless remorse. “Do you think I didn’t try doing that?”

“Erm, ok, I’ll just… What’s a social security number?”

Connie facepalmed. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

It was, in fact, not that long after all, as they only had to phone Pearl to forge yet another document and it spent a weirdly short amount of time, as if she had all the documents ready somewhere deep in her Gem. Steven forlornly set off back home to deal with more Gem related affairs, and Connie went off to violin practice. There, waiting for him once he got back, was Garnet, who reajusted her shades when she saw the boy walk through the door. 

“The Diamonds are on call for you, Steven. I can also foresee this not going down well. I’ll get the cocoa ready.”

She got up to make the sweet drink, bashing cups and pans more violently than was necessary. Steven let out an almighty sigh and made his way to his room, where the communication device that the Diamonds had given Pearl lay on his bed.

“Hello Steven!” they all exclaimed at once, crowding around the screen once they saw that he was on. “We… Saw the permafusion, is her name Garnet? Anyway, she told us that you had gone to a human place for a time-consuming activity!” White Diamond exclaimed, beaming fakely. 

“We missed you so much!” shouted Blue Diamond from somewhere off screen. 

“Anyway, why don’t you spend your short and probably uneventful life with us? We can show you the universe and even help you “conquer” worlds in your own weird way!”

“Yes, I’ve got a few left over you can explore!” shouted Yellow, her hand appearing briefly before White snatched back the device. 

“So, what do you think?”

Steven pinched his brow and sighed for what felt like the fiftieth time today, despite having spent most of it away from all Gems. “Guys, I… I need a break. From you.”

White Diamond’s face crumpled, only for a second, but enough for it to be noticeable. “Right, but…”

“No, I really need a break. You don’t seem to understand that I’m half human, and that I need to sleep, eat,  _ rest _ … Human things. And besides, my life isn’t uneventful, thank you very much.”

He felt like something had loosened in him. Maybe if he was facing the Diamonds he wouldn’t dare to be this open, but here, in the comfort of his room and away from the rigidly upkept state of Homeworld, he felt like he had control over things better. 

“Besides, you guys really need to learn how to be good on your own… I can only do so much. Just… Remember to speak to other Gems like your equals, alright?”

Steven stopped the call there, and flopped back on his bed. The device beeped, indicating an incoming call, but he just sent the thing flying to the other end of the room. He really has had enough of Gems, the Diamonds, powers, his heritage, everything was starting to get to his head and he wondered how it was like to be Connie. How it was like to be normal, to have a normal life and family and friends and a boring school to go back to every day, a routine. 

“Here’s your cocoa, Steven,” Garnet said in her usual monotone, pressing the hot mug into the boy’s hands. 

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll be in the living room if you need me. Pearl and Amethyst are at Little Homeschool, so if you need to ask them anything, for example in regards to forged documents, you might want to wait for them to get home.”

“Fair enough. I’ll wait.”

“That works, see you later.”

The moment she left, Steven was left to add salt to his drink by crying into it silently, hoping that the stress of the day would not repeat itself for the rest of his life, as the Diamonds would be sure to make happen. 

By the time Pearl and Amethyst came back, Steven had fallen asleep. Pearl went up on the mezzanine to tuck him in, Amethyst retrieved the now cold mug of cocoa, and Garnet picked up the communication device and proceeded to call back the Diamonds to pick up the pieces. As much as they irritated her to the point of separation, she would do it for Steven. 

Once the Diamonds dealt with and all the Little Homeschool applications looked over, the Gems took up a worried counsel in the living room that lasted the night, all whispered words and shaking of heads. Finally, morning rose once more, and the Gems kept the night to themselves as they yet again tried to make the boy’s life better behind their masquerade of nonchalance. 


	2. Chapter 2

The next day started off much more calmly. Steven got up and stretched, hearing birds sing outside through the open front door. Pearl was sweeping the house and taking all the dust out and dumping it over the balcony. She soon caught sight of Steven though, and waved at him.

“Hi Steven! Is that how you say hello in vocal shorthand?”

“Yes it is, Pearl,” Steven replied, stretching again as he made his way down the stairs. 

“Oh, brilliant! I’ll add that to my human vocabulary class. By the way, aren’t you late for that school thing?”

Steven stopped mid-yawn, glanced at the time displayed on his cookie cat clock, and sped off immediately. He ran to the carwash, and once he got there, he banged on the door to wake his dad.

“Schtu-ball, what’s wrong? Have the Diamonds changed their mind again? Have the Gems been corrupted? What’s wrong Steven?”

“I’m late for school!”

Greg went from panicked to sheepish. “Oh, and you want me to take you there? Wait, you never told me you were going to school now, what would the Gems say?”

“Dad, they helped me! Please, can we go now?” Steven begged, nearly in tears. “I don’t want to be late on my first day!”

Greg, seeing that times were dire and his son was in grave need of him, started up the van and made the engine roar. Steven jumped in with a happy smile on his face, tears completely gone from his eyes, and they were off.

“So, Shtu-ball, what made you change your mind about school and everything?” asked Greg, dreading the answer. His son had never wanted any schooling apart from the knowledge that the Gems imparted on him.

“Aunts,” was the answer he was given. 

“Oh,” Greg answered, not quite sure on how to interpret that answer. He didn’t have any sisters, and…  _ Oh. _ “I see,” he finally said, now on the same page as his boy. 

“Anyway, the school is on your left from here, in the other city. You know, the one where Connie lives.”

“Steven, I don’t want to be rude, but… Do you think you have the level to be in the same school as your friend? You’re fifteen, and classes can be tough at your age. Have you thought of starting at a lower level, maybe?”

Steven’s brow crinkled; maybe it was in thought, or maybe he had been hurt by the comment. Greg hoped that it was the former. It was, in fact, both. 

“But I won’t be able to see Connie! Dad, I’m sure I can make it, I learned history with Pearl and maths with Garnet, I’m sure I’ll be ok!”

His son had those stars in his eyes again, the ones that he had when he was particularly engrossed in something or another, or when he had hope, or even when he saw something wondrous. Greg had tried, he had tried so hard, for years, to get used to that look and to resist his appeal for it, but there was nothing to do other than just accept his fate and give in to his son’s arguments. 

“I guess you’re right. But please, believe me when I say that school is not as easy as you think it might be.”

“Sure! I’m always ready for a challenge, and if the teachers are too dangerous, I've got the shield to protect Connie and I!" he exclaimed, showing his wrist as if he was summoning his shield. Greg cringed on the steering wheel for a second, thinking that his son was going to indeed summon the weapon, but that was in fact not the case, and the man sighed and flipped his hair, now grinning. His son was very intelligent, he could give him that, and had a knack for getting himself out of tight spots.

"Hey, Shtu-ball, this could be good practice for setting up Little Homeschool, right? You can observe the teachers and see what they do right or wrong, and learn from them how to teach Gems!"

"That's a great idea, Dad! Thank you!" replied Steven, and the stars in his eyes only grew bigger.

By the time they pulled into the parking lot of the grand school, it was already several minutes after the first bell. Greg hurried along with Steven by his side, gasping for air once they got to the reception area.

"We're... here for Steven... Universe's schedule."

"Dad, I told them I'm called Steven DeMayo," the boy interjected, not quite as breathless as his father. "Besides, I'm sure Connie has taken it for me."

The secretary glanced up at them and looked at Greg pointedly, then back to Steven, disapproving. "It looks like you've skipped the whole integration ceremony, young man. Good thing I kept all your paperwork, I'm sure it wouldn't have lasted long in the hands of the principle. He has a tendency to set things on fire."

She handed over the schedule and attendance forms, as well as a map of the school that looked even more complicated than the map of the hospital Dr. Maheswaran had framed in the parent's bedroom.

"Thank you," Steven answered, putting his hand out for the paperwork. He was however met with a tutting rather than the expected papers.

"Thank you..?"

"Thank you... Pearl?"

Greg facepalmed behind his son.

"Thank you, Miss," he said, and indeed this was the magic word that unlocked the giving of the much-needed papers. Steven was glad, although a little confused, and took the map from his Dad, as well as the schedule.

"I'll take care of the rest of the papers, Shtu-ball, you hurry off now, and don't forget your backpack!"

Indeed, the old and battered hamburger backpack was still sitting in the back of the van, somehow having become covered in sawdust on the way to school. This didn't bother Steven, who happily took it and unzipped the lettuce, looking for his pencil case.

"Later, Steven," Greg said, hurrying back to the van and his barely-existing clients at the carwash.

Things couldn't have gone better in the teen's mind's eye. He was late, but he was sure he'd be able to talk himself out of getting told off, as he had always been able to do with Pearl, and the best part of all this was just waiting to happen anyway, as he was about to meet Connie and make some new friends.

After about half an hour, he finally found his way to the classroom, and taking in a great gulp of air, he knocked on the door.


	3. Chapter 3

“Come in!”

Steven pushed on the door. He was used to doors simply clicking open, so he was surprised when the locking mechanism broke and he was sent flying into the room. He had obviously misjudged his strength.

“I’m sorry! I maybe shouldn’t… have done that…”

Thirty sets of eyes were now staring him down, and another two pairs were looking at him particularly intensely. Connie mouthed his name at him from where she was sitting by the window, looking a little angry, but by no means as angry as the only adult in the room, who was literally staring daggers at him. 

“Steven DeMayo, I presume,” they immediately said, checking something on the register. “You already have a reputation for being the only person who’s late on the first day of school, and now you are also responsible for damaging school property. Let’s just say I am less eager to meet you than I could have been,” said the teacher, in a tone that somewhat reminded Steven of Pearl when she was particularly worried for his safety. 

“Please take your seat, Mister DeMayo. Now, to get back to what we were saying earlier…”

Steven sheepishly crossed the floor to where Connie was keeping him a seat, trying to ignore the students who were still looking at him. Somehow, having the eyes of the entire Universe's population of Gems on him was nothing next to what it felt like than to have the entire attention of a single classroom. Swallowing his saliva, he got to his seat by the window and sat down, not without making his chair screech across the linoleum, which only garnered even more attention from the classroom.

"Thank you for deigning to join us, Steven. Now is time for introductions, I guess."

As if on cue, the whole classroom groaned, and Steven glanced at Connie, puzzled. She didn't even spare him a look, her cheeks flushed and her mouth a strait line as she looked towards the blackboard. The door was still only hanging by a thread, and a slight breeze pushed it on its now creaky and unusable single hinge.

Was Connie upset with him? Steven wondered. She must have known that it was an accident, after all. Besides, he really needed her guidance right now as to what this introduction thing was all about.

"Sullivan, you'll be the first because you're the one who's furthest away from me. Yes, I know why you sat there, and yes, I will be changing your seating this year. Now, care to tell us a little about yourself?"

A boy with raven hair stood up in the back of the classroom, taking care to pick up his chair so that it made as little noise as possible when he stood up.

"Hi, I'm Sully, and I like pizza and driving teachers up the wall. Also, I got a tongue piercing this summer," the boy said, sticking out his tongue playfully to show off a small silver bead resting on it.

"Quite enough of that now, maybe Tabitha can go next," the teacher sighed, waving for the next student to get up and present themselves. As the minutes went by, different students introduced themselves one by one, some of them playing the game like Sullivan had, others shyly only giving the minimum amount of information about themselves, hiding behind long bangs or talking in a voice barely above a whisper.

Steven was getting worried. He wasn't sure if he was going to be able to pass this test, if a test it was, he thought. What did he have to say about himself? Everything was so complicated, his parents were a billionaire rock star and an alien queen, how could he resume that in just a few words?

Soon though, it was his turn, and he stood up, ready to give his speech, but his mind was as blank as a paper he'd have to otherwise cover in Gemglyphs.

"So, er, my name is Steven and, er, my mom... isn't here anymore. And my dad has a car wash, and I live with...relatives. In Beach City! So yes, uh, I like music and singing. That's about it!"

The boy gave a nervous laugh before sitting back down in his chair, doing his best to remain calm as Connie took her turn. She remained minimal in her introduction too, but with a touch of pride, Steven noticed that she mentioned swordfighting as one of her hobbies. The rest of the classroom had various stories to tell, and one boy in particular seemed to have perked up and said that he too liked music. Steven didn't catch his name though, but he did remember his face, and took a mental note to ask him about his musical tastes after class.

"Right, that's about everybody... Except me, of course. I'm Miss Steinson and I'll be your form teacher this year. If you have any problems, be it school related or generally speaking, I'll be here to help you out as much as I can."

She wrote her name on the chalkboard, leaving room for what would undoubtebly be the rest of the lesson.

"I am also your Maths teacher, so I expect you all to follow my lessons attentively. Right, Sullivan?"

Steven looked back to the black-haired boy in the corner of the room, who he now understood was probably a troublemaker who was well known for his consistent behaviour. His only answer to the teacher was the flipping of his bangs to the side, and a discreet expression of disdain.

"I will not, however, be your mother, and if you run into any trouble of your own making in the school or out, I will not help you unless you call on me. Understood?"

A few nods answered her, but nothing more. Steven didn't, for one. He was starting to nod off, actually, and only an elbow to his ribs from Connie's part stopped him from sailing off into the warm embrace of sleep.

"Concentrate!" she whispered, and Steven did his best to do so.

His sleepiness was soon forgotten when he was confronted with what had appeared on the blackboard whilst he had been gently letting his thoughts escape him. There were words, of course, but also letters, numbers, and letters mixed with numbers. This was definitely not what Garnet had taught him, that was for sure.

"Erm, Miss?" he called out uncertainly, and Connie elbowed him in the ribs again.

She raised her hand, which immediately caught the teacher's attention.

"Yes, Connie?" she asked in a very mellow voice, as if she had a deep appreciation for the student in front of her. 

“Steven has a question, Miss,” she replied, gesturing to Steven.

“Yes, uh, why are there numbers and letters in that operation?”

Again, all the eyes in the class seemed to have focussed on him. The teacher looked at him incredulously, before turning back to the blackboard, completely ignoring Steven’s question. The boy felt desperate for a bit, looking around the classroom for help, but everyone was concentrated on the lesson once more. 

Suddenly, something hit the boy in the back of the head. He looked around, and saw Sully smiling at him, leaning back in his chair. Steven picked up the ball of paper that had been thrown at him, unscrunching it, to read:  _ Welcome to the troublemaker’’s gang. _


	4. Chapter 4

After class, Steven was shaking in shock. He had never been through anything quite like this before, nothing quite so  _ humiliating _ . If he was to be honest with himself, he really couldn’t quite figure out what to do next. Students were streaming around him in a heavy flow, bustling and chatting to each other, and he was left alone. Even Connie had disappeared in the crowd, and he didn’t know why.

“Erm, Steven?”

The boy turned around to come face to face with the person who he had spotted earlier on, the one who supposedly liked music. Steven smiled broadly at him.

“Yes, hi! That’s me alright! And you?”

“I’m Leo. Er, so how is your first day here at Newgate?”

“I’m doing pretty good! I guess. Well, apart from the whole, you know, breaking the door down thing,” he was quick to add on.

“I know, that was so cool! It was like in an action film, like Boom! you smash through the door and make sure none of us are bored!” 

“Like in Lonely Blade?”

“Yeah! I love that movie!”

“Well, I liked it too…” Steven started, but seeing the stars in the other kid’s eyes, was quick to add on: “... and I still do! Do you know Dogcopter?”

They continued talking about old interests of Steven’s. Regarding music, Leo didn’t seem to be in the same vein as Steven, as he didn’t know any of Mister Universe’s music (other than the TV jingle that had now become a cult classic), and preferred pop and rock that didn’t date back to before he was born. 

On the other hand, there was a bit of confusion before Steven found out that the other boy didn’t play an instrument. 

“You don’t even sing?” he asked, curious. 

“No, not really,” Leo answered. "I never really had a talent for it, you know? I don't really see the point?"

"What do you mean, you don't see the point? It's really important! Besides, I bet you do sing, everyone sings along to their favourite songs or in the shower."

"Well, I guess I do that, but that doesn't really count, doesn't it?" the boy asked, looking a little more fidgety. "Look, just let it go, it's not important."

The other boy didn't insist, but he was somewhat troubled by Leo's evasiveness. Maybe he had had a bad experience with singing, but it was something so simple and natural in Steven's mind that he couldn't really picture a life without making music. He took it as a challenge. Like Peridot, he was going to help this person find joy in music, and then everything will be better.

"Watch out!"

Steven had stepped between Leo and the impending danger just in time; he was about to trip over a leg that had been stuck out, and would have surely fallen if Steven hadn't intervened.

"What was all that about?" Steven asked the one who had nearly tripped his new friend over.

“What are  _ you _ all about, Steve? I thought you were like me, but here you are hanging out with a loser! Didn’t you get my note? We’re supposed to be together in this!”

Sullivan was clearly angry, but Steven could see right through that. There was something lost in him, a loneliness that the boy had learned to see over the years. Still, that didn’t excuse him for being an ass.

“Hey, I hang out with whoever I want, and if you really insist on bringing this to a head… Well, we can always fight it out.”

There was no mistaking the look of fear in his eyes, thing that saddened Steven. He was disappointed, in himself as much as he was with the person facing him. He had never had to intimidate anyone in this way, or rather, he had never  _ achieved  _ intimidating anyone. Not in this way, however. Sullivan scampered off before he was able to formulate an apology.

“I’m sorry,” he told Leo. “I didn’t have time to really talk this out with him. I just don't want anyone to get hurt, you know?" Steven tried to explain.

"You really shouldn't worry about. There are other things to think of that are more important than Sullivan's feelings. He's known as the school bully, you know?"

The boy with the pink jacket took in a deep breath, his sagging shoulders letting the straps of his bag slip down his shoulders.

"You're right. But I'll still try and make things right. I'll start by finding Connie and apologising to her, I guess."

"There we go, that's a good plan. I'll just go and see Sherwin then, in the meantime, stay safe and don't overthink things too much."

He nodded at his friend's wise words and went off to find his best friend, who was, if he were to believe anime, probably on the roof, reading.

To his surprise, she wasn't there. However, he did have an excellent view of the hills going up and down, and if he squinted, he was even capable of seeing the Beach City lighthouse, somewhere in the distance.

"Hey, get off there right away! You're not allowed on the roof!"

The shout came from behind him, startling the boy and triggering his survival instincts. Without even looking behind him, he jumped off the roof and into a nearby tree, taking care to float down a little so that he didn't hurt himself on the harsh oak branches.

"HEY!"

Steven landed with a small rustle in the tree, leaves flying around him. "Yes?" he asked politely, now that he had realised that the person who had tried to stop him a second earlier was none other than Miss Steinman.

"I.... You..." she gasped, stray whisps of hair flying from her bun. "Detention, Mister DeMayo."


End file.
